Jose Antonio Vargas is making waves as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and human rights activist. Born in the Philippines, Vargas moved to the US at the age of 12 and revealed his status as an undocumented immigrant in The New York Times Magazine in 2011. That experience and essay is the foundation of his new book, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen. In addition, Vargas somehow has time to be the founder and CEO of Define America, the nation’s leading non-profit media organization that fights anti-immigrant hate through storytelling. Get on board, because we want to ride the waves of change that Vargas is pushing to create.

When faced with fear, author Courtenay Hameister chooses to turn and fight – by wrestling her experiences with anxiety and imposter syndrome into poignant and hilarious essays that help light the way for others. The beloved former host and head writer for Live Wire, Courtenay writes a column for The Portland Mercury called What’s She Mad About Now, and is the co-writer for the web series The Benefits of Gusbandry. Her first book, Okay Fine Whatever: The Year I Went From Being Afraid of Everything to Only Being Afraid of Most Things was released in July. Her essays fly in the face of fear and we are here for it.

When you’re as tall, outspoken, and hilarious as Marcella Arguello, you see the world from a unique vantage point. In her own words she’s “too lazy to shoot hoops and too tall to model,” so naturally, she turned to standup comedy to make her mark. Arguello’s not afraid to riff on topics ranging from race to politics to gender to relationships to whatever else is on her mind that day. She’s a fan favorite on Comedy Central’s @midnight, a Timeout “LA Comedian to Watch” in 2017, and has written for and appeared on numerous cable and streaming TV shows. Buckle up and look up, because Marcella Arguello is about to rain comedy down on you.